Sweden held on to beat England, 2-1, on Saturday in Nice to claim third place at the Women’s World Cup. It is the Swedes’ third bronze medal at the tournament, tying the United States for the most in World Cup history.
The Swedes struck early with goals by Kosovare Asllani in the 11th minute and Sofia Jakobsson in the 22nd minute. They appeared headed for a dominant victory when England turned around matters with a goal by Fran Kirby in the 31st. Just two minutes later, it appeared Ellen White had tied the match, but it was disallowed when the video assistant referee ruled White had committed a handball.
From there, Sweden managed to thwart England’s attacks throughout the second half despite mounting pressure.
England failed to repeat its third-place finish at the 2015 World Cup, but it appears Phil Neville won’t be losing any sleep over it. The English manager, said after the match that the third-place game is a “nonsense game.”
